1. Field of the Invention
This invention is related to the field of traps for fish, crabs and the like, more particularly to collapsible traps which can be left under water and later retrieved.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Conventional fishing traps carried by commercial fishing boats are generally constructed virtually completely of steel, wire, or other rigid or semi-rigid materials and typically have a capacity of approximately 60 to 70 pounds of fish per trap. If capacity could be increased without simultaneously increasing storage and handling problems, substantial economies might be realized. Specifically, a larger trap could be left under water for a longer period of time, thus reducing the labor and other costs associated with periodic patrolling, emptying and redeployment. Additionally, increasing the capacity of a trap should increase trap efficiency, since a greater portion of the time during which the trap would be in use would be devoted to actual trapping as opposed to patrolling, emptying and redeployment operations.
However, despite the foregoing potential advantages, efforts to employ larger conventional traps have not been entirely successful. In short, it has generally not been economical, efficient or practical substantially to increase the capacity of rigid traps. Among the reasons is the fact that the capacity of a conventional trap is necessarily limited by: (a) the relatively small size, deck and trap storage space of typical 25-35 foot commercial fishing boats, (b) the decrease in safety stemming from the use of larger, heavier rigid traps on such boats, particularly in rough water, and (c) the desirability of deploying as many traps as possible per available boat, thus increasing the chances of contacting at least some worthwhile schools of fish.